I'll Wait For You
by Significantthirdwheel
Summary: Chihiro is 18 years old, and is an outcast from her friends and family. After having wrote letters to Kohaku since she left the spirit world and having no response, she decides to leave her life behind to gather up her courage and enter the mysterious and horrifying world to not only find Haku, but to experience once again what it was like to feel free.
1. Freedom

She was waiting for a really long time. She didn't exactly know what she was waiting for, although if you were to ask her, she would probably tell you that she was waiting for something to take her far away from Earth because, in reality, whenever she thought about it that was what her mind always turned to. She was so young, and right now she felt more conflicted about whether it really happened. She usually avoided thinking about it.

But she remembered. She remembered all the suffering that she went through those few days. She remembered what true horror was. What true work was. What it was like to have everyone, every single being surrounding you, think of you as garbage. She knows what it is to have to prove herself in order to be free. But she looked past the suffering. She looked past all the tears, the panic, and the pain. Because when all of this was done, she experienced something that no other human will ever experience. She experienced freedom. She experienced being so happy that while she was falling through the sky, she didn't think of the water underneath her. She didn't think about the possibility of her death. She thought about the boy, not a boy, actually, something else, something that she didn't understand. He protected her. He was what she trusted to keep her from danger, and who, after having saved her life multiple times, she knew that she saved. And every night, she would see those grey eyes lighting up for the first time, when she saved him.

But who knows what that was. Chihiro Ogino, who was now 18 years old, was thought of by everyone as insane. Maybe not "insane," but there was definitely something wrong with her. The things that came out of her mouth, she sounded like a 50 year old or older woman who had gone daffy in her old age. She started speaking out of line and about things that didn't make sense at all as soon as she moved into her current house. Her parents were assured by therapists and doctors everywhere that it was just stress, and after seeing how people reacted to her stories she eventually learned to shut her mouth. Still, Chihiro's mother saw what her daughter had did amazing in school, but once she graduated she never bothered with university. Chihiro was gorgeous, a beautiful face, and a reasonably sized, slender body with hair that now reached her waistline, that she kept tied with a worn out purple hairband that must have been over five years old now. The boys gawked over her. She never cared for any of them, though. Her mother came up with multiple situations as to why this might be, but ultimately decided it was because she was too occupied with talking to her inanimate objects and writing letters to no one in her room, and then tossing them in the forest for reasons she never shared. As much as her mother wanted a grandchild, she supposed she would have to wait. Chihiro was a young woman, she will fall in love and have babies in the future, it was bound to happen.

Chihiro, however, was an individual. She loved her parents, but she never listened to them when it came to things such as university, sex, babies, and marriage. Her father, who was someone that she started avoiding as soon as he first brought it up, even threatened to push her into an arranged marriage. Chihiro knew and was fully adjusted to people not understanding her, but she still clung to her mother's side because she always seemed the most understanding. She felt blessed to have that one person in her life. She learned how to deal with not having friends, to having to take matters into her own hands, but at least she had that one person to lean on, no matter how insane she thought she was.

But there was that one boy. Or, god, at this point. She knew he probably didn't care as much as she did. She was told her entire time in his world, she is a weak and smelly human. She gave him a huge favor, but she knew he wasn't one who had to care about her. At first, this realization broke her. It gave her constant depression, constant nights of crying. She wanted him to come through those gates, to, at the most, let her stare at him. Yes, she loved him, but she didn't ask for much. Not even a hug, really. Just to see those stunning grey eyes was all she wanted.

She wrote to him every day. She always took care and precaution while writing, making sure her writing was legible and that she always signed off with "Love, Chihiro." just so he knew it was her. It was sort of a quirky habit she had as a child, but it grew into something that calmed her down. She never begged him to come to her and hold her and take her away, because even though that's what she wanted, he could do whatever he wanted. She asked nothing of him. She just liked to talk to him about her day, occasionally asking how he was doing in high hopes he would answer. She would write the letter, fold it into fourths, and put it in a blue envelope, as blue was her favorite color. She usually had some cute stickers of flowers and cartoons that she buys from Tokyo that she would use to tape the envelope together and when all was done, she would walk up to the tunnel let the letter go in the strong current that led into the spirit world. It was amazing, and although most of her was sure that there was a pile of her letters sitting on the other side that no one bothered to clean, she was also sure that, maybe, just maybe he has been able to read them. Maybe it made him smile, maybe he thought it was just adorable that a human, of all creatures would be so in love with him. He might have thought it was ridiculous. She didn't care. She just wanted him to know.

Once or twice, she would work up her nerve and walk through the tunnel into the foreign world behind it. She felt the anxiety eat her up by the time she was almost there. By the time she was out, she entered the chapel and saw that no letters were on the floor. However, the door on the other side was wide open, so the chance of the letters flying out into the spirit world felt high. She would have checked. She should have checked. However, at this point, there was no way she was going to make it past. She felt like something was going to jump out and take her and eat her. As ridiculous as this notion was, she never had the guts to go past that door. She couldn't even look through it into the green, grassy, beautiful paradise beyond because she knew how dangerous this place was. So, she ran in the other direction, looking behind her just to make sure she wasn't going to die. Once she was out, she'd lie on the ground in tears and not get up for hours out of guilt and temporary self-loathing.

She needed him. She has sacrificed so much for him that she felt ridiculously used. Last night was the last night she tried to work up the nerve to go past the chapel. It was snowing, and it was snowing hard. She would have froze out there if her mother didn't catch her. Chihiro was about to loose herself at this point. She wanted to go past that door. It was driving her insane. Her mother nursed her. Hugged her, fed her, told her everything is ok and that she'll be ok. Chihiro knew she wouldn't be ok until she saw him. She needed to leave. So that's what she would do.

Chihiro was brave. She knew damn well she was brave. She told herself this as she packed a small bag, just small enough to hold a few necessities, an extra jacket, soap, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrush, gum, if she was staying for more than a day she didn't want to be too disgusting. She left her house as soon as her parents went grocery shopping for the week. She walked to the tunnel feeling like a child. "I'm not scared," she told herself. "I'm not scared. I'm not little anymore."

She was freezing by the time she got to the gate. The current was not helping. She felt her lips become more and more numb, her cheeks felt so rosy even though she knew they were probably white as the snow surrounding her. She knew that her memories as Sen were the only things keeping her sane. She walked through slowly as she did when she was ten, keeping her eyes closed and trying not to trip over pews, and in the occasion that she did, pulling herself up and reminding herself that there was no way, at this point, that she will ever be scared again.


	2. Haku is a mess

Haku was a mess. The same serious, arrogant, stubborn mess he'd always been, but now he had no time to worry about his threatening reputation, his overall demeanor and the fact that everybody had some sort of fear from his presence. He is not the apprentice to the almighty Yubaba that he used to be, he still worked for her, yes, but he is a powerful God now. He has his name and he has his river. That said, he was way too powerful to let a grumpy old witch tell him what to do. Still, he had work, and this made him even more respected by everyone, even Yubaba. However, Zeniba, her much wiser twin, saw Haku as a son, more of a stubborn little boy than a God. Although she looked out for him with her life, she knew all of his breaking points, all of his mixed emotions, and how he hid them from the world and those who fear him. She, after all, might have been the only one who did not. She also knew that there was nobody who intimidates him than her, which she used to her own benefit to a small degree.

However, Zeniba loved Haku as her own child, and she found from the way that he would visit her every few weeks, how he already had a guest room in her house, and how he only really ate and slept when he was being took care of by her, that, even though he was, to say the least, an asshole, he looked to her for some inner peace and protection that he needed and that she happily provided. Whether or not he pretended to care, he needed someone to care for him. So, she decided to be that person.

But Haku was still a mess. Besides Zeniba's house, which has become a second home beside the bathhouse, he did have one happiness. While everyone was asleep, he would walk to the tunnel separating the spirit world from Earth. He went there because everyday, there would be a blue envelope put together by a cute sticker that he liked to gently peel off once he was in his office and stick on a piece of spare parchment so that he can look at the interesting designs, some that were recognisable and some that he had to look at carefully to detect what it was supposed to be, whenever he was feeling overworked. The best part about the envelopes was what was inside of them. Pristine white paper, with the ramblings of the little human that he last saw eight years ago written in clumsy handwriting that even he, who was, to say the least, a master in all languages, still sometimes had trouble making out.

He didn't cherish these letters because he enjoyed reading about how boring and carefree her life was, which of course he envied, but he loved that silly but incredibly wise human so much that knowing that she was safe and healthy made his evening. When she wasn't in perfect health, he would dread and worry for weeks until she sent him a notice that she felt better. Once she broke her leg and was in the hospital for a few days and he couldn't think of anything else except that. He wasn't sure what how you can break apart of your body like she did, which was classic for her, but he worried for her life. He even thought about going to the human world just to perhaps cast a spell on her leg to heal it, anything that would have helped. However, once she let him know that she was out of her "cast" and able to walk again, he eliminated all of those thoughts, as they were absolutely ridiculous. Ridiculous, because God's were prohibited into going into a human's realm. Because of this, he honestly was worried about his future with her, if it was to happen. She is older than she was when he saw her, every now and then she would send a photo of her, her slender body that looked adorably tiny, and a face that was way more gorgeous than any other God would describe a human to be. He eventually learned to match his own body with her current age, and it ended up suiting him more than his body as a young boy did. However, Haku had only a general idea of how long a human's life is, and from what he knew, she had maybe 50 years left, 80 or 90 at the most. He has lived so much longer than this, 80 or 90 years would be just a small portion in his life.

He had considered writing her back. He really had. Even Zeniba started pressuring him for awhile, until she realized it was pointless. Rin, who was a worker at the bathhouse and adored Chihiro, even threatened him to. He snarled at her, and told her to write it herself if she cared so much for her. Rin, after hearing the attitude she was receiving from the dragon, went into a frenzy about how she's not a God and how there's no way she would know how to write, and how Haku, who can write in Japanese and so many other languages flawlessly, is a selfish brat and a child. Rin obviously thought that she was equal to Haku, which made Haku more aggravated by her than by anyone. He reminded her how she was lucky, after all, that he was so kind as to not wipe her off of the face of the Earth. Rin, knowing this to be true, huffed and left Haku's office. Haku had felt guilty, but knew that if Chihiro would want to see him, she would probably have been in his office with him, leaning over his shoulder as he worked. Of course, this is what he pictured her to do, which was good enough for him.

He opened today's letter and immediately started panicking.

_Dear Haku,_

_I tried to visit you yesterday. It's really cold at this point in the year, and I didn't make it that far. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you first, but I wanted to. I haven't been doing well lately, My mother has been trying to make me happy but you're all I think about right now. Well, for the past eight years you've been all I thought about, but I get told all the time that I'm getting old, that I'm a woman now and I need to act like it by falling in love and having children, which I can't do. Not because I am unable, but because I don't want to. I am perfectly able of doing both, which I am reminded of all the time lately. I don't like life here, I don't like having to write these letters and wondering if you'll ever respond, or if you'll ever read them. I'm sorry for not telling you that I wanted to visit earlier, but after sitting in my bed, terribly sick, I don't think I should visit anymore. I want to come to your world and stay in your world, and I know it's probably not a good choice but I want to feel free again. I need you to do that, after all I've seen you have no idea how bored I am. More than bored, I've been sort of, well, worried. You already know what people have been saying about me, and how people have been telling me that I'm crazy, I'm delusional, everything like that. I'm starting to believe it. The story that I have in my mind about you and everyone else in the spirit world is completely foolish, and I don't blame anyone for not believing it. So why do I still, after all these years? I'm afraid that I am lying to myself. As I mentioned before, I'm extremely sick and weak, but I need to know the truth. Tomorrow, instead of sending you a letter, I'm coming to the bathhouse. I hope you're ok with this, but it's something I've thought long and hard about, and it's something I need to do. I hope you understand and I'm sorry for possibly being a headache over the years._

_Love, _

_Chihiro. _

Kohaku, shooting un-godlike expletives out of his mouth and circling around his study, spent the next hour stressing about Chihiro more than he has in his entire life. He spent so long only caring about her well-being that he forgot about her happiness. She wasn't happy. How dare he make her think none of this was real. How dare she not tell him before how she felt. This wasn't the only thing that was making him panic, but she was sick as a dog because of him. And now, she wanted to make it worse, again, for him. His first instinct was the same as always on subjects involving his human, he pulled Rin from her job and into his office. Rin was in the middle of cleaning the big tub for whatever filthy spirit needed to use it next and was, to say the least, extremely frustrated when she was pulled from her work to take care of Haku's problems. When she got to the study she saw Haku struggling to meditate in the middle of the room, scales poking out of different parts of his body, showing that he was aggravated beyond any sort of tantrum he's had in front of her, which he has had a lot of.

Rin, who was extremely confused by now, tried her best to calm the dragon by awkwardly rubbing his shoulder. "Hey buddy, wanna tell your Auntie Rinny what's bothering you?" Kohaku, who was even more annoyed by the sound of her trying to console him, opened his eyes to give her a dirty look as he spoke. "Chihiro is coming tomorrow." Rin's eyes lit up with enthusiasm. "That's amazing! Oh, we've got to get everything prepared, the poor baby has gone through so much here, she's going to feel welcome and I will make sure of it. Don't worry about a thing, we'll make her happy if it's the last thing we do!" Haku, whose eyes beamed red and who was visually full of anger, was so close to using his dragon claws that now replaced his hands to slit her throat just to shut her up. "You will call me Master Kohaku, no abbreviations, no nicknames. We're not friends, I am your boss and you owe me your life for not killing you already, Rin." Rin glared at him for his oh-so-rude response. "Please, I've known you much longer before you were even "Master Haku". Now tell me what's wrong with your little girly friend coming here." Haku was going to lose it, but he took a brief moment to keep his anger in check, and he felt his claws turn back into the hands they typically are, and his scales retract back into his body. He figured that he should be honest with Rin, who in reality was the closest thing he had to a friend, anyways.

"She's sick, Rin." He took another breath to keep his extremely worried emotions from showing, to avoid tormenting from his worker. "She's terribly sick and not only that, but she has been miserable. Coming to the bathhouse will not be good for her and she will need assistance, which I will provide myself. I'm going to take her to Zeniba's home and we will try our best to nurse her back to health. I'm going to be gone from the bathhouse until we are sure that she is well. I leave today." He took a deeper breath. He came up with this idea while he was speaking, although he had to admit that it was a good one. He felt some of the weight come off of his shoulders as he continued. "She will probably be angry at me for not responding, which, and please cherish this moment for I will not repeat it, you were right about." Rin smirked at the fact that he was finally able to admit that he was wrong. The first time in thousands of years, and there would be thousands of years left until he did it again. It was a satisfying moment and one she will never forget. Haku continued with his plan. "In the meanwhile, keep in mind that once she is at the bathhouse, she will not leave my sight. She will be with me at all times until further notice. Haku stood up, and looked Rin dead in the eye. "I'm leaving now. Tell the other workers and Yubaba. You will be in charge."

Haku knew he wouldn't regret the decision to put her in charge, because even though she furiated him more than anyone else, she was more mature and clever than anyone here. It was safe to say that when he wasn't here, she was the leader. Kohaku shooed Rin out of his study, which she did without arguing. He walked to the beautiful patio that he was supplied when he moved into this study, which was overall, an amazing room, with red walls and mahogany floors, with all the necessities such as a bathroom and a bed, although he seldom slept or used the facilities. But the room was gorgeous and supplied him with a nice atmosphere. He flew away as quickly as his mind raced, because, seeing how dark it was beginning to become, he realized he was in more of a hurry than he initially intended. He didn't mind though, his eyesight was keener than any other spirit and he knew the way to Zeniba's house by heart.

He made it to his home in no shorter than 30 minutes, and once he was there, it seemed she already knew what was going on. She was spying on him and he knew it. Although, in some cases, such as right now, it is a good thing she does. He trusted that she only did it when she sensed something was wrong, anyways. "Kohaku, you're here." She walked up to him in a hurry and brushed the hair out of his face. "It's been so long, you look starving. Come on in, I made you supper." She saw the expression of worry on his face as she sat him down at the dining table in her house. "Don't worry about a thing. I have the room set up for her and everything. She'll be fine." Haku shook his head. He felt comfortable here, and it calmed him down to know that she understood the situation. "I don't want her to leave my sight. I want her bed in my room. This is a dangerous world, and she's fragile." Zeniba gave her non-biological son a strange look and then sighed. "She'll have to be out of your sight at some point." he looked off guard at this statement and before he was able to speak up, Zeniba interrupted him. "I will only put her bed in your room if you make me two promises. Are you listening?" Haku, being the child he was around her, put his head and the table and shook it up and down, nodding. He did this not because the idea of making promises to ensure that his human stayed in the same room frustrated him, but because he only now realized how exhausted he was.

Of course, Zeniba knew this. "First of all, and I trust you to have the common sense not to do this even if I didn't tell you, no sex. If I catch you sleeping with her in this house, you two will be separated and you will be punished. She will most likely be punished as well, but mostly you will because I told you not to and I trust you know better. Understood?" He wasn't sure how she would punish her, possibly giving her a pig nose for a few days, but it was hard to say. However, he knew exactly how she was going to punish him, sending him back to the bathhouse, with, most likely, a pig nose.

Haku nodded his head again, which was still buried in the table. He quite enjoyed his current position and almost didn't want to move. "And as for the commitment I don't trust you to follow," Zeniba carefully lifted up his head, so that his gray eyes met hers, which were almost as big as his head. "She's sick. She'll want privacy. When she asks for it, you are to grant her all the space she needs." Although Haku was initially opposed to the idea of letting Chihiro do what she wished while she was here, he did want her to be happy. He nodded his head once again, this time, looking Zeniba in the eyes.

Zeniba smiled, looking at the exhausted boy. "Good." She got up from her seat, and grabbed a bowl of noodles to Haku. He ate silently and slowly, but ended up finishing. It was a miracle he was still alive, the way he took care of himself was unacceptable by her means. Zeniba sensed how stressed Haku still was. "I agree with you that, as her dragon, you need to look after her." Haku brought his head up from his meal. He has never been called by her or anyone else "Chihiro's dragon", but it was a true statement. If he was to be anyone's pet dragon, he would be Chihiro's. "This is a safe place. No one will hurt her while she's in this house, but I suppose that once she leaves and returns to the bathhouse, she will be in more danger, her being a human. So by all means, if you feel it is necessary, keep your eye on her." She paused, reviewing what she just said. "But once she is adjusted, the same rules apply. Let her have space whenever she wishes for it."

"Once she's… adjusted? adjusted to what?" Zeniba smiled, remarking his innocence. "Sweety, if she stays here, she will be the same as us. She will keep all there is to being a human, except she will not age, she will not smell, and she will not die. Not as long as she is here. Once she leaves, if ever, she will age as usual, and die in a few decades prior to leaving, just like she would right now." Haku was shocked at this explanation. "Don't get your hopes up. She will still be human, and she will still have a disadvantage because of that." But what really struck Haku was, no aging. No death. She won't leave him like that as long as she stays. Yubaba knew what he was thinking. "Again, don't get your hopes up. You'll have to treat her like a queen if you want her to stay. Humans move on from people all the time, and unless you want her to follow that trend, you will have to cherish her more than anyone else, and that will take actually responding to her when she talks to you, which you haven't been doing for the past eight years. Haku was determined to anything to make her stay after hearing this. He brought his bowl to Zeniba's sink and cleaned it out. "Thank you," he mumbled in his usual strict tone, not that he would dare to use that tone with her usually. "I'll be back later." Haku walked out of the house, transformed, and flew to the gates, taking a few berries along with him for her.

Zeniba snickered when he left. "Such a child." she thought to herself. Haku flew to the chapel, and entered swiftly, sitting at one of the pews. Haku sat there in front of the beautiful stained glass and the sunlight that beamed down on his head and meditated for what must have been 5 hours, until he heard lazy footsteps come through the tunnel separating the chapel from the human realm. He sprung up immediately, and rushed to the entrance when he heard the footsteps stop, followed with a soft, _pud._ He walked slower than before to the opening, where he saw a tiny being with long hair that was tied up with a sparkling purple band with her head nestled in her knees. She was breathing softly, but hard enough for him to hear how quick her breathing pace was, and that she was obviously suffering. He couldn't make it any farther. He couldn't walk up to her and cradle her in his arms and take her home. She was freezing, and that's all he wanted to do.

He kneeled down at the opening, trying to not scare her. He whispered softly, only loud enough for her to hear. "Chihiro." Even with how softly he spoke, she was still startled to look up and see him sitting, waiting for her. She probably didn't recognize him, his hair was much longer, he was very tall and skinny, his cheekbones were prominent, and although he was incredibly handsome, he looked like a man, which is far different from when she last saw him. He didn't want to seem threatening to her, because she had tears streaming down her face, just like she did when he saw her for the first time so long ago. He whispered in the same tone, "It's me, Chihiro." Her eyes got wider, although her expression remained the same. "I'm here." Chihiro started crying harder than before, Haku couldn't see if it was from happiness or fear, or both. "Chihiro I can't make it any farther," he said with a louder voice, "You have to take a few steps forward. Just a few. You'll be ok, I'll help you." Chihiro stood up, it seemed she had to use all of her strength to do so. She only took three steps, until she was almost out, when the same anxiety and fear stuck her once again.

"Prove it's you." Chihiro said in a hoarse voice, she's obviously been sick for some time now. "I don't believe you." Haku stood confused, only then remembering what a conflicting little human she was. "How?" Haku said under his breath. "Look me in the eyes." Chihiro responded, in another soft voice. "Please." Haku did what he was told, and Chihiro smiled with chapped lips. She walked further, until she was able to touch Haku's face, which was almost out of her reach. Haku kneeled down until their faces were level with each other. She was so small and he was so tall that Haku had to be on his knees in order to do this. She cradled his face with her hands. "Hi, Kohaku." Haku brought out one of his rare smiles, just for her. "Hi Chihiro." Chihiro started giggling, and brought her forehead to his as her smile faded away. "I don't feel well, Haku." Haku nodded. "I know, Chihiro." Chihiro slowly started to become see through, and as soon as Haku noticed, he brought the berry to her lips. She had to use everything she had left to chew and after she swallowed, her body slowly came back. She smiled.

"I remember this part."

"I know you do."

Chihiro kissed her dragon on the forehead and passed out, still breathing but needed to be tended to. Haku kissed her forehead back and took her into his arms, tucking her sleeping head into his neck. He transformed once again, still holding her in his dragon claws, with her backpack in his back claws, and safely brought her to Zeniba's, even noticing some color gained in her cheeks. He transformed himself into his ideal form once they reached the door, Chihiro still with her head tucked in his neck and her backpack swung lazily over Haku's shoulder.

Zeniba smiled at the way Haku was still so gentle with his tiny human, and let Haku place her in her new bed, which was now sitting at the other side of his bedroom. He carefully tucked her in and kissed her forehead for the last time before he went back to the kitchen, where Zeniba was still busy cleaning. Zeniba looked at Haku with a soft smirk. "Was she mad at you?" Haku took a sip of water that he took time to pour for himself and shook his head no. She laughed. "She will be when she wakes up." Haku looked at her. "Good. She should be." Zeniba shook his hair with her hand. "Go to sleep, sweetie. She'll wake up in a few hours, and she'll want you to be the first person she sees." Haku wasn't about to argue with Zeniba. He strolled back to his bedroom, taking his water with him, and fell asleep for the first time in a few weeks.


	3. Good Luck

**EDIT: HI GUYS! I JUST NOTICED HOW MANY SPELLING/GRAMMAR/GENERAL ERRORS THERE ARE IN THIS CHAPTER, I AM SO SORRY I DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO RE-READ BEFORE I PUBLISHED BUT I WILL FIX IT! THANK YOU FOR READING I LOVE YOU GUYS**

Chihiro woke up some time later, and she was immediately startled by the headache she had. She was confused, and she looked around for her mother, who was usually the first person she was used to seeing as soon as she woke up. Instead, the first thing she saw was the strange bedroom surrounding her. She surprised herself with her ability to get on her feet.

She walked aimlessly around the room, noting the bed on the other side that had blankets and pillows in a mess on top of it. As her memory started to return to her, she was dressing in a kimono that she found hanging in the closet at the left side of the small room. She stepped out of the room and found her way to the bathroom straight across the hall. She used the facilities and washed her face with the soap she packed, using the deodorant as well, just to be safe. She would've taken a shower if she wasn't unsure if she was allowed. She was about to tie her hair up into her signature ponytail, when she looked at her wrist and saw that the purple sparkling band, which has been through so much over the past eight years and it showed, was missing.

Chihiro panicked, and she ran to her bed and started looking through the covers. She recognized the house as Zeniba's house, although he has never seen this much of it. She wasn't sure how she got here, but she prayed she hasn't lost her hair tie on the way.

After countless minutes of searching through her bed, she finally found the glimmering thing on her nightstand. She sighed and chucked at herself for not checking there by default, but brushed it off as she tied her hair up into a bun. After her hair was as neat as she intended it to be, she picked herself up from the kneeling position she was in, immediately feeling the rumbling in her tummy. She didn't know if Zeniba or Haku, or anyone else that knew she was here expected her to wake up. She looked around the house, and couldn't find anyone there. Entering the living room, the first things she noticed were the sewing machines that she saw the last when she was 10, that she would have payed more attention to if she wasn't so frantic at the time.

Deciding to look more at the house, she roamed down the hallway of the bedroom she woke up in to find a door, that was shut completely unlike all the other doors and, as she soon discovered, was locked. She heard some noises in there, rustling of papers, and as soon as she knocked, footsteps that we're coming closer and closer.

Kohaku unlocked the door, and instead of seeing Zeniba, who he was expecting to to have to politely ask to leave him alone as he was very, VERY busy, he saw Chihiro, still visually sick but not seeming to care, walk into the room without him inviting her in. After examining the room, which was pretty boring, a desk close to a medium sized window, scattered with his papers, an inkwell and pen, and a rarely used typewriter and ballpoint pen, which even though would be easier to use, would've ruined the integrity and professionalism of his work.

"What are you doing ?" Chihiro said in a louder than usual, but still hoarse voice. Before Haku could respond, Chihiro was already rummaging around in his papers, disorganizing everything and possibly causing a few ink smudges. He pulled the papers that she was messing with out of her hands, and sat at the desk with them trying to get them organized again.

"Chihiro, go back to bed. You're still sick, and we have to go back to the bathhouse soon." The word "bathhouse" immediately caught her attention. "When?" She asked with the same excitement as a small child. Haku shrugged lightly at the question, still attempting to straighten his papers. "Whenever you're well again." Chihiro pouted at his response. "You're boring." Haku shrugged once again, although her statement did shock him a bit, he wasn't about to let her know.

"Do they know I'm here?" Haku, remaining silent, nodded his head. Chihiro, offended at Haku's sudden withdrawal, sat on the floor next to Haku's desk and watched him do his work. "Didn't No-face live here?" The thought only just occurred to her, but she was curious. Haku chuckled at Chihiro's ignorance as to what has happened while she was gone. "He does, yes. Although, he usually resides in the lake nearby." Chihiro nodded, happy that she would be able to see him again.

"Is there any food here?" Haku lifted his head up from his work, as he suddenly remembered that humans have to eat, otherwise they will starve. Haku looked at Chihiro for the first time in what seemed like forever. "Are you hungry?" Chihiro nodded. "Aren't you?" Haku shook his head. "I don't really have to eat. I can starve for weeks and be fine, I ate my first meal in two just yesterday."

Chihiro didn't really know what to think of this, she's never heard of anything like that here. Last time she was in the spirit world, almost everyone at the bathhouse was starving all the time no matter how much they ate, much like humans. That is, except for Haku, who she's never actually seen eat.

After sticking all of the papers in a file cabinet under the desks, Haku pulled Chihiro to her feet, and guided her to the table next to the kitchen by the hand carefully, as if not wanting to break her. Haku was not a chef, he's never had to learn how to cook as he has never had to cook for anyone, even himself. He rummaged through the refrigerator, not wanting her to have to suffer until Zeniba came home. He found a grapefruit, and decided that would have to suffice. Zeniba gave him a few before, and he knew just how to prepare them the way she did.

Haku, being the stubborn perfectionist he is, carefully cut the fruit straight down the middle. After sprinkling just enough sugar to erase the bitterness of the grapefruit, he grabbed a spoon and handed his creation to Chihiro on a platter just big enough to hold it. "You'll have to wait till Zeniba returns before you can have a proper meal." Chihiro nodded and smiled at the dragon.

Her smile slowly faded into a soft frown as she poked around at her food. Haku, noticing her changed expression, sat next to her, petting her back in circles. "What's wrong? Do you not feel well?" Chihiro shook her head as she took her first bite of grapefruit. "Did you read my letters before this one?" Haku, even though he didn't want to upset her, understood why she asked this, as he has not wrote her back of gave any signs that he was still alive at all. "Yes I have. I've kept them all in my office at the bathhouse. Of course, there is a lot." "You were supposed to write back." Chihiro interrupted Haku before he could tell her how her letters usually made her day. "I know," he said, still looking at her face to make sure she knew he was sincere. "I'm sorry."

Chihiro looked down at her grapefruit as she continued eating, even though she has began to lose her appetite, unbeknownst if it was from anger at Haku or sadness that she wasn't enough of a priority to him. Either way, it hurt. She heard a door open and an "Kids, I'm home!" coming from a voice that belonged to two people, one whom she hated and one that she was looking forward to seeing since she arrived. Haku broke the silence between him and the human and answered saying "Zeniba? I thought you were going to be home later. Chihiro is already feeling a bit better-" Zeniba cut him off looking more serious than frantic. "That's good, because you're going to have to go back to the bath house sooner than we expected. Pack your things. Chihiro, you stay." Haku was visibly at a loss of words, trying to find something to say to the witch that stood before him.

Chihiro was more frustrated than confused, her having no say in this. Haku found himself and spoke up before she could. "I told you I don't want her out of my sight. Whatever drama they're starting now, I'm sure it can wait." Zeniba snapped him out of his stubbornness before he could walk away. "I'm afraid it can not. The elders found out about your pet human." She patted Chihiro's head, obviously in no mood to offend her. "They're coming to the bath house tomorrow and they expect you to be there by the crack of dawn, and humans value their sleep at night. Not only that, but you'd be risking her life. She is not yet immortal and you know how these monsters can be when it comes to disrupting their peace."

Chihiro almost spat out what she had in her mouth, but restraining herself, even though she had trouble swallowing. "Not yet.. Immortal?" She sputtered, trying not to spit out whatever there was left. Haku, with a look of guilt nodded his head. "Yes Chihiro, after too long here, you will be immortal. No dying, no aging. That's why you shouldn't have come." Chihiro looked at Zeniba with a look of disbelief and hope that she would say something that was even a little less shocking. After too long of hearing nothing from either one of them, she spoke up herself. But… I wasn't a threat last time I was here. I've aged since then." Zeniba put one hand on her head as she spoke with an attemp to calm the frantic child down. "You were a child then. Now, not only are you old enough to reproduce, but you can also mate with Haku, which, although it wouldn't physically or mentally change anything about you two, it would bring such shame among his ancestors. If you come with Haku, your life will be in danger."

This was a comforting thought. There wasn't much talking for the rest of the day. Zeniba made supper for the three of them, which wasn't that impressive, just soup and bread with water. Chihiro took a bath by herself, and everyone went to bed. Haku, knowing that Chihiro wasn't pleased with him, broke his promise to himself to keep an eye on her for a night and slept in the guest room that chihiro was initially supposed to sleep in. Chihiro's night did not consist of much sleeping. It also did not consist of tossing and turning, but lying there, still. No book, no tv, none of the fancy technology she left behind in the human world, no form of entertainment at all, just herself and her thoughts. She was starting to question her judgement, why she is still here. Why she came in the first place. So far she has only seen Haku, and while this was what she's been wanting, did she still want it? She has been hoping for years and years, eight, to be exact, that maybe he just hasn't been getting her letters and she only just realized it now. It must have been late at night when she finally managed to close her eyes and drift off.

After Chihiro got maybe two or three hours of sleep (or so she felt) She woke up to chattering in the living room, presumably Haku and Zeniba. She knew this meant Haku was going to leave, and on a whim, she ran her sleepy body over to where she heard the noise. Both Haku and Zeniba looked surprised to see her up. "Haku, are you going?" She asked in a raspy voice, her cold meeting her for the first time this morning. Haku nodded. "Can I talk to you?" Haku looked over to Zeniba, waiting for her approval. Zeniba nodded her head solemnly and left the two alone. "Haku, I've been thinking last night…" Haku stopped her, seemingly understanding what this meant. "I understand if you want to leave now, Chihiro." Haku's passive aggressive ways always threw her off. "No, Haku… I forgive you. I don't know how much you care to be forgiven, but I do." Haku stood still, blinking a few times, Chihiro can see that he was a bit surprised by her generosity, but still trying to remain his serious and unchanging self, possibly so she didn't think any less of him. Chihiro cautiously wrapped her arms around him, as he did the same to her in return. "Although I understand if you want me to leave, you mess up a lot but I'll try to trust your judgement." Haku brought his lips to the top of her head, having to lean down in order to reach, her being much shorter than him. "Stay as long as you want Chihiro." He was happy that Chihiro had her face buried in his kimono and was not looking at him directly, because he wasn't sure if this is one of the times where he "messes up". "Just please don't follow me to the bath house." Chihiro nodded, although she was starting to feel unsure herself.

"Haku, would it anger the elders too much if you kissed me?"

"I have no idea."

Chihiro didn't listen to his indirect warning, standing on her toes and pulling his face down to meet hers just so she can give him a brief but intimate "good luck" kiss. She pulled away after only a few seconds, and Haku, blushing but managing to keep it hidden, kissed her on the top of her head once more as he walked out the door. Chihiro heard the wind chimes outside tingle together as he flew away. After a few minutes went by of her staring at the door, she sleepily walked back to her bed.


	4. The Scary Leader

IT'S BEEN SO LOONNNNGGGG OK HEY GUYS I'M ALIVE!

HOPE YOU ENJOY!

Chihiro was, surprisingly, not exactly forlorn over Haku leaving. Yes, she had a fear of him getting lost, or hurt, or killed even, but her comforting thought was that she knew exactly where he was. She knew vaguely but enough about what he was doing. She knew at this point, that after regaining his name, he is far more powerful than vulnerable.

She lived her life as she would at her own house, as a human. A barely grown human who was particularly lazy (bored too), who had the same basic needs as any other human. Food, drink, toilet, shower, couch, books, bed. There were things that humans needed that weren't here as well, she missed things like her TV, laptop, phone, and MP3 player. However, she wasn't too needy, and she grew to like the traditional, folky, old fashioned feeling of the spirit world. It felt more Japanese than Japan itself in it's new age.

She liked the forest near Zeniba's house, and while Zeniba's happened to be gone, she would wonder Swamp Bottom, looking for the ducks and slugs and snails that were quite like the ones in her world. She had yet to run across a crocodile, but if they stood up on their hind legs, wearing ties and glasses, sipping on coffee and talking to each other about the weather and complaining about their wives would it phase her?

It wouldn't honestly, but she was patiently waiting to see something more exciting, more spirit like in this world. She begun to miss Haku the slightest bit, but it didn't overpower how much she missed her mother. They were probably worried, but not surprised that she would do something stupid like run away to her imaginary La-la world she created when she was 10 to see her dragon-god Prince Charming so he can whisk her away to his palace so they can get married and have dragon babies. She was sure that the news that the Ongino's "special" daughter was at it again was probably passed by now, and her father was probably more ashamed than worried, after all. But her mother... God knows what she was thinking. Thoughts like this made her want to go home less and less. She hated herself for it, but she'd rather for everyone to think she's dead then to know she was right all along. Which was strange, it would usually be the other way around.

She sat in her bed, flipping through an old book she started a few weeks ago (has it really been that long?) with a full stomach and wet hair. She heard thunder outside, but when she looked out the window it didn't seem to be raining. She looked at the sky. She saw white, noodle like clouds that we're moving at a rapid rate, or so it seemed. Weird, she knew things were different here but the weather was usually the same.

She heard the thunder grow, and grow, and grow until it didn't even sound like thunder. It sounded like wind. Heavy wind that made one happy they were inside. She was staring at the clouds, that started to remind her of Haku, that one time she saw him flying from that perspective. Haku. They reminded her of Haku. Haku. Dragon. Dragons. They were dragons. What she was looking at we're not clouds, they were dragons. Multiple dragons. It wasn't thunder. The weather was fine. The sound was dragons flying. Oh God.

She had to see what was going on. She ran outside in her pajamas that she packed when she came that she liked so much better than the kimono she was given to sleep in. As soon as the door shut behind her, a thought, a horrible thought hit her in the back of her head like a hammer.

She had no idea what Haku was doing all along.

She thought she did, but she really didn't. Her basic thought was that he was going to talk to whoever was in charge, they would be cool with her staying, everyone's happy, everything's great, they fall in love, and she's never sad again because she has a big old mean dragon guard dog to guide her through their eternity together. That can't happen. That never happens.

She was outside, standing still, looking at the sky, her jaw dropped and her eyes squinted. The thunder stopped. The clouds were still there. The thunder started again. The clouds got bigger and bigger, this time in her direction and not the other way.

Dragons everywhere. They all looked like Haku with some minor differences. This one's more gray than Haku, this one's more blue, this one's fatter, this one's longer, this one's shorter, there were some that we're towering above her, and most had different colored manes.

They were all standing still in front of her. Some had their lips curled back into a snarl, she might have even heard some growling. She started counting. 14. There were 14 dragons, which she considered good, as she expected more like 30. Why did she step outside to see? They turned around mid air and lunged at her. That's what happened, they either saw her or smelled her, but if she had stayed inside of the house, she would have been safe. Paralyzed in fear, she wanted to punish herself for this.

The thunder started again, and a dragon who had to have been bigger than the rest soared in and landed at her feet. Not Haku, this one was huge, and she felt like a little rodent in it's shadow. What has she gotten herself into?

Before she could think anything else, the huge beast was in his human form. He was about 6'5, which was only a little bit taller than Haku. He was older, he looked about 25, short blonde hair which she noted was in a small ponytail, a kimono similar but more armored than what Haku wore, and Haku-like features; sharp green eyes, pointed features, prominent cheekbones/jaw line, etc.. He was handsome, but still towered over her and honestly scared the crap out of her.

"Are you wondering where Nigahayami Kohaku Nushi is, you human?" He spoke like a normal man but with towering authority that made her stomach churn. She recognized the name as Haku's. She gulped and backed away. The dragons were still growling, some snapped their jaws, some started pacing around her. She felt helpless, and as much as she hated all of the damsel in distress stories that's what she felt like right now.

He smirked. "He should be here shortly, calm down you mouse." She wanted to sit down. She was dizzy and she didn't want to pass out in front of them. She also didn't want to be called a mouse, and losing consciousness would make her seem even more weak than she was already making herself look. She wasn't weak, she was actually pretty strong, or so she thought herself to be, even with her dependence on Haku, which she was starting to feel ashamed of. But what was she supposed to do now? Maybe if she were a powerful dragon goddess it would be easier to gain their respect, but she was a tiny, scrawny, cute little human girl. She was tougher when she was 10, for god's sake.

She gulped, straightened up her back and gathered up all of her courage to look this dragon in the eyes and question his unwelcomed appearance. "Why are you here?" Her voice, which was not shaky at all but loud and bright, scared her.

"Wait and see." His smirk was replaced with a serious expression. "Tell me." She scared herself again. "Please." Gulp. He walked up to her and put his band on her shoulder. "Do not give me orders again. You're not immortal yet." He was threatening to kill her, which he was perfectly capable of doing. She heard the same thunder, softer than when the leader came down. She looked at the dragon that just arrived. Haku. She didn't know whether or not she was relieved.

Looking at him, she realized he was bigger than all the others as well. She hasn't gotten a clear look at his dragon form since she arrived, but she quickly realized that she was wron to have envisioned it to look like it did 8 years ago. He was huge. Not as tall as the leader, but he obviously had authority over the others as well. He turned into his human form and sure enough, it was him. She felt tears in the back of her eyes that she wasn't about to let shed.

As she had guessed, he was only an inch or two shorter than the leader. Without thinking twice, he pulled him off of Chihiro. He had fire in his eyes, they were glowing red the same way they would usually glow green. Had she'd not known him, he would have scared her even more than the leader. No words were shared between them. Only an angry glance from the two of them.

Haku walked up to Chihiro with the same authority as he did the other dragons. He still had anger in his eyes, but he still had more of a soft spot for Chihiro. "Go inside and sit down. You'll be ok. We'll talk later."

She turned away from the group, walked inside the house and sat down at the dining table, no particular thoughts running through her head. Haku shut the door behind her. She wasn't scared anymore. She heard arguing outside, the voices belonged to the leader and to Haku. She heard the familiar thunder as the dragons took off and the creaking of the door as Haku walked through in the same scary way. "What the hell were you thinking? When you see dragons you don't come outside. Shit, they knows where you are now. We have to leave and this time you're not leaving my sight." He wasn't yelling but he was irritated. She was about to cry.

"I'm sorry." Her voice cracked. A tear ran down her face, she wiped it with her hand and held the rest in. Haku sighed and sat next to her, wiping her hair out of her face. "It's ok Chihiro, you didn't know." He put his arm around her and kissed her temple. "We'll go to the bathhouse, you can live in my quarters. You can work there again if you wish, and you'll be around friends who are forever grateful to you." His eyes turned jade again, he turned her head gently so her eyes met his and he gave her a soft smile, which he wouldn't give to anyone besides her. "You saved them Chihiro. They remember and they love you. You'll be happy, I promise. It's just until everything is figured out, and then you can do and go wherever you like." She smiled and shed another tear, which this time he wiped away.

He kissed her on her lips which were wet from tears, a real kiss this time, not the sad and tragically romantic one they shared last time, but this one had a little bit of happiness, and the affection that they still had trouble admitting to one another. He pressed his forehead onto hers and looked her in the eyes. "Pack up human," the word "human" rang more affectionately out of his mouth than it did the head dragon's, "We're going to be gone for awhile."


End file.
